Stapling machine



April 28, 1931- D R. A PLACE STAPLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 13, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BY 4% April 28, 1931- D. R. LA PLACE STAPLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 13, 1927 2 Sheets-S1186?. 2

IN VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 DESMOND B.. LA. PLACE, OF PITTSBURGEPENNSYLVANIA STPLING MACHINE Application led December 13, 1927. Serial No. 239,681.

This invention relates to stapling machines and. more particularly to such machines using staples connected together to form strips.

, "i One of the primary objects of this invention is to produce a stapling machine in which the force required for driving and clinching the staples is obtained by a powerful spring, instead of striking a punch-plunger by hand as now done with machines generally found in the trade. Another object of this inven tion is to provide a machine in which the intensity of the stroke of the shearingand driving plunger may be adjusted to suit the nature and thickness of the material to be stapled together. Still a further object of important this invention is the provision of a stapling machine which may be operated with the least elort, either in horizont-a1 or vertical position. Additional features and advantages of this invention will appear from thefollowing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings` forming a part of this application.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the stapling machine in its inoperative positiomone half of the frame having been removed to show the inside mechanism.

Fi 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, but showing t e machine in closed position, about to shear off and drive a staple.

f Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a shock absorbing spring used in the machine.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the staple feeding mechanism of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of two staple catch-fingers used in themachine.

The purpose of this application is to cover improvements and additions made vonanother stapling machine forming the subject matter of a copending application filed by me on August the 12th, 1925, and bearing the Serial No. 49,714, which has matured into Patent No. 1,655,275 granted Jan. a, 1928. y

Reference being had to the drawings, my improved staple driving and clinching machine comprises the housing 1 formed of two symmetrical halves Y1 and 1b held together by means of a suitable number of screws 2 inserted in threaded apertures 2a. Saidhousing-halves are thickened at the front end and are suitably apertured to provide room foi` 55 the plunger-punch 3 and the lever spring 4 A by means of which the plunger-operating lever 5 is automatically returned to the lowered or inoperative position shown in Fig. l.

The operating lever is rockably mounted 6o on a fulcrum pin 6 and comprises theupper arm 7 and the angularly disposed lower arm-8. Rockably mounted adjacent the bottom of the lower arm 8, o n a fulcrum pin 9, is the pawl 10 which is preferably made of 65 a piece of material bent to engage both sides of said arm, and which possesses a pointed nose 11 and lobes 12 through, which the fulcrum-pin passes. A coil-spring 13, partly inserted in an aperture 14 provided in the 70 lower arm, is used to push said nose normally outward in a position adapted to enable it to engage the shoulder 36 on the plungerpunch 3. On the lower arm is also provided a protuberance or teat 15 which serves as a 7.5 guide for the lower end of the lever spring 4.

The plunger-punch 3 comprises a c lindrical guide-member 16 and the reduce punch lrsof substantially cruciform cross-section YCo Y isting of the narrow ribs 18 and the larger B0 front and rear ribs 19 and 20 respectively. The rear rib 2O is partly cut away at the lower end to produce the cutting edge 21 whereby the individual staples 22 are sheared off the staple-strip 23. These ribs slide in suitably 35 shaped grooves provided in both halves of the housing and their purpose is to hold the cutting edge 21 in proper shearing position. The guide-member 16 slides in the cylindrical aperture 24 and has at the top a central 90 bore 25 to receive the lower end of the powerspring 26, the upper end of which occupies an aperture 27 providedv in the outwardly threaded shank 28 of the grip or operatingl knob 29, this shank engaging threads 30 cut 95 in the enlarged top portion 31 of the aperture 24. Said portion 31 is ofsuicient depth to allow for an ample adjustment of the pressure of the power-spring on the plunger-punch.

The staple-strip 23 is inserted in the ma- 10 chine at the rear through an opening 32 and straddles the rectangular staple carr ing bar 33 which is securely held between tile housing halves, and flush with the bottom thereof gg dowel-pins 34 and by one of the screws 2.

e front end 35 of the carrying bar is suitably ground and hardened to produce a sharp cutting edge at the top.

The o eration of the punch-plunger and of the stap e shiftin mechanism is performed b means of the p unger operating lever 5 in t e following manner: The rear end of the housing is pivoted by means of a pivot-pin 37 between two vertical and parallel posts 38 formed integrally with, or secured in any desired manner to the base 39. At its upper end the lever arm 7 is slotted to receive the uplper eye 40 of the connecting link 41 which is e ld by the pin 42. The lower end of said connecting link has also an eye 43 and is hingedly mounted between the posts 38 on a through-pin 44, set a suitable distance backA of the pivot-pin 37. It will be readily seen from Fi s. 1 and 2 that, because of the disposition o? the pins 37 and 44, when a downward pull is exerted on the operating knob 29, the housing will rotate counterclockwise and the operating lever 5 will be rotated clockwise. The rotation of the latter will first compress the lever-spring 4 and then cause the nose 11 of the pawl 10 to engage the shoulder 36 of the punch-plunger and force the latter up into the position shown in Fig. 2, the power-spring 26 being thereby also compressed. Just before the bottom of the housing comes in contact with the top of the anvil block 45, the nose 11 leaves the shoulder 36 thus enabling the power-spring to rapidly force the plunger-punch down whereby the first sta le overhanging the cutting edge of the stap e carrying bar 33 is sheared oil, driven throu h the materials to be bound together, and the egs of the staple folded over upon striking the inclined or rounded sides of the shallow groove or depression 46 in the anvil block. I,

The automatic forward feeding of the staple strip is obtained by vsecuring in the lever 5 a rigid push-pin 47 having a bent portion 48 which en ages a few turns at the forward end of the eeder-spring 49 the rear end of which is connected to the staple pusher 50 b means of a hook 51 formed at the rear end ereof.

The staple pusher is made up of a substantially rigid piece of sheet metal having at the rear two parallel wings 52 and at the front two s aced and parallel fingers 53 which strad le the spine 54 of the staple-strip 23 and the function of which is to engage theopen spaces 55 provided between the individual staples to push the strip forward, when the housing is pressed down. In each wing 52 there are two longitudinal slots 56 each being engaged by a pin 57 secured in both halves of the housing in any desired manner. The length of the slots 56 is such that the pins 57 will limit the forward shift- Iing of the staple-pusher to advance the strip but one staple at a time.

When the depressed housing is released, the lever-spring 4 expands into its normal position and turns the operating lever 5 counterclockwise whereby the housin is turned up into the inoperative position i lustrated in Fig. 2. The rotation of the lever 5 causes the pusli-pin 47 to strike a stop 58 properly located on the pusher and the latter is pushed back, the fingers 53 gliding easily over the top of the staple strip. The purpose of using two slots 56 and two pins 57 is to positively guide the pusher 50 and prevent any overturning thereof due to the tension in the feeder-spring 49.

When but a few staples are left in the strip, thc pressure by the striking plungerpunch is liable to dis lace or overturn the strip sufficiently to allict the proper operation of the machines. To prevent any trouble on this score, I secure in one of the housing halves the holding-down spring 59 the lower end of which lies flat on the top of the staple strip and the upper part of which is guided in an oblique slot 6() cut in a pad 61 formed inside of the housing-half. A s shown in Fig. 4, the holding spring has also at the top an angularly disposed extension which rests on the top of said pad and which engages an aperture 62 drilled in the housing-half; thus, said spring is properly held to allow a ielding movement of the lower part thereofi The staple-strip is additionally guided and held against retrogression by means of the lateral resilient catch-fingers 63 provided at both sides of the carrying-bar 33 and acting near the cutting-edge thereof. Each catchfinger comprises the horizontal resilient arm 64 and the downwardly directed vertical finger 65 in which is produced a struck-up lug 66 adapted to engage one of the open spaces 55 in the sta e-strip, adjacent the front end thereof. he front edge of said finger is also bent at right an les to form a rib 67 which acts as a guide or the foremost staple and enables it to be sheared of and driven in straight by the plunger-punch. The catch-fin ers are secured to their respective housingalves by means of rivets 68 inserted in apertures 69 cut at the inner end of the arm 64.

In line with the staple-strip and car ing-bar there is provided at the front of t e housing a sight-hole 70 to enable the operator to see whether or not the stapling ma chine is loaded.

As an additional improvement I have introduced in my new machine a shockab-Y sorber 71 for the plunger-punch. This shock absorber comes into action when the plunger-punch approaches the end of its downward stroke. As shown in the present embodiment this shock-absorber has the shape of a hair pin, the parallel legs 72 the rear part of which are set in grooves 7 3 cast in each housing-half. These grooves flare out gradually toward the plunger to afford room for the up and down flexing of the forward ortion of the shock-absorber. The latter 'ts about the reduced portion of the plunger-punch and is engaged by the shoulder 36 when the plunger is pressed down. 'Ihe purpose of this shock-absorber is to absorb the excessive impact or momentum of the plunger-punch when the latter has about reached the end of its stroke and to prevent any marring or denting of the materials stapled together, in cases that the power-spring should have been compressed too much.

My stapling machine may be kused on level surfaces, such as the top of a desk, and on inclined or vertical surfaces, such as a wall. For the latter purpose, the base 39 of the machine is provided with apertures 74 for receiving suitable holding-down screws; in

addition there are also provided resilient.

pads 75 to protect the surface on which the machine is set against scratching.

From the above description, the operation of the stapling machine will be readily understood and may be described briefly as follows To bind together a numberof paper-sheets, for instance, the operator holds with one hand the, sheetsv in proper position on the anvil 45 and with the other hand forces down the whole housing by pulling on the knob 29. This causesthe operating lever 5,130 raise the plunger-punch and compress the powerspring 26 until the point 11 of the pawl 10 looses its engagement with the shoulder 36 of. the plunger-punch 3. The latter is then quickly forced down by the released powerspring to shear off the first staple, drive it through the sheets o f paper and clinch the legs of the staple thereunder. By releasing the grip on the knob 29, the lever-spring 4 acts on the operating lever 5 whereby the whole housing is raised in the upward position shown in Fig. 1. On the next downward pull on the knob 29, the sta-ple next to be used is first moved forward by the pusher 50 into shearing position shown in Fig. 2 as soon as the plunger-punch rises above the to p of the staple-strip.

It will be understood, of course, that the arrangement I have herein shown is merely suggestive of many that might be adopted in carrying ou out my invention, and I do not wish torbe limited tothe construction illustrated otherwise than as specified in the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a stapling-machine, a base, a housing rockably mounted thereon, a plunger-punch reciprocable in said housing, an operatinglever for said plunger pivotally mounted in the housing, means positioned in said lever for lifting and subsequently releasing the plunger, and connecting means between said lever and base whereby the plunger will be lifted and subsequently released by the downward rocking movement of the housing.

2. In a stapling-machine, a base, a housing rockably mounted thereon, a plunger-punch reciprocable in said housing, an voperatinglever for said plunger pivotally mounted in the housing, means positioned in said lever for lifting and subsequently releasing the plunger, connecting means between said lever and base whereby the plunger will be lifted and subsequently released by the downward rocking movement of the housing, and means for returning said housing into raised position. n

3. In a stapling-machine, a base, a housing rockably mount-ed thereon, a plunger-punch reciprocable in said housing, an operatinglever for said plunger pivotally mounted in the housing, means positioned in said lever for lifting and subsequently releasing the plunger, rigid connecting means between said lever and base whereby the plunger will be lifted and subsequently released by the downward rocking movement of the housing, and means for returning -said housing into raised position.

4. In a stapling-machine, a base, a housing rockably mounted thereon, a plunger-punch reciprocable in said housing, an operatinglever forsaid plunger pivotally mounted in the housing, means positioned in said lever for lifting and subsequently releasing tue plunger, connecting means between said lever and base whereby the plunger will be lifted and subsequently released by the downward rocking movement of the housing, and sprin means for returning said housing into raise position. o

5. In a stapling-machine, a base, a housing rockably mounted thereon, a plungerpunchreciprocable in said housing, an operating-lever for said plunger pivotally mounted in the housing, means positioned in said lever for lifting and subsequently releasing the plunger, rigid connecting means between said lever and base whereby the plunger will be lifted and subsequently released by `the downward rocking movement.

of the housing, and spring means eHective on said operating lever for returning said housing into raised position.v

6.. In a stapling machine, a base; a housing rockably mounted thereon; a plunger punch reciproeable in said housing; an operating lever for said plunger pivotally mounted in the housing, and connecting means between said lever and the base adapted to rotate the lever on the housing in opposite direction relative to the rocking movement of said housing.

7. In a stapling machine, a base; a housing rockably mounted thereon; a plunger-punch reciprocable in said housing; an operating lever for said plunger pivotally mounted in lo the houslng; means for normally holdmg said lever out of engagement with the plunger, and connecting means between said lever and base whereby the plunger will be engaged and lifted by the downward rocking movement of i5 the hpusing.

8. 1n a staplmg machine, a base; a housmg rockably mounted thereon; a plunger punch reciprocable in said housing; an operating lever for said plunger pivotally mounted in the housing; means for normally holding said lever out of engagement with the plunger; connecting means between said lever and the base whereby the plunger willule engaged and lifted by the downward r( lng movement ofthe housing, and n'ieansA rorreturning said housing into raised posiyt'loi'i.

9. In a stapling machine, a base 'housing rockably mounted thereon; a plu ger punch reciprocable in sai-:l housing; an"1-erating lever for said plunger pivotallym'ounted in the housing; connecting means between said lever and the base whereby the plunger will be engaged and lifted by the downward rocking movement of the housing, and unitary means for holding said lever out of engagement withptheplunger and said housing into raised position.

10. In a stapling machine, abase; a housing rockably-rjaf` `imted thereon; a plunger -punch reciproab'le'in said housing; an operating lever for'said plunger pivotally mount ed in the housing; connecting means between said lever and the base whereby the plunger will be engaged and lifted by the downward rocking movement of the housing, and unitary spring means for holding said levernor-` mally out of engageemnt with the plunger and said housing into raised position.

11. In a stapling machine, a base; a housing rockably mounted thereon; a plunger punch reciproeable in said housing; an operl ating lever for'said plunger pivotally mounti ed in the housing; connecting means between said lever and the base whereby the plunger 56 will be engaged and lifted by the downward rocking movement of the housing, and a spring positioned in the housing and acting upon the lever to keep the same normally out o engagement with the plunger and to hold 60 the housing into raised position.

In testimon whereof I ailix my signature.

D SMOND R. LA PLACE.` 

